10 spine, orthopedic surgeon tech entrepreneurs to know

Here are 10 surgeons with orthopedic and spine training who are also tech entrepreneurs.

John Abrahams, MD, is a partner at Brain and Spine Surgeons of New York and co-founder of Mobile Health One Communication. He also founded biomedical device company Endomix and prosthetic spine surgery device company AsiloMedix. His most recent venture is CranioMedix. His partnership with David Crane on Mobile Health One Communication focuses on secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging capabilities for physicians, according to a Med City News report.

Randale C. Sechrest, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon who founded Medical Multimedia Group in 1992 after beginning to use computer-assisted learning in his practice a few years earlier. He pioneered applying computer-based training methodologies to help patients understand orthopedic surgery procedures. More recently, he launched eOrthopod.com with the eOrthopedTV service to allow surgeons to stream video on their practice website. He is medical director at Montana Spine & Pain Center.

Alex Kosik, MD, focused his practice on spinal cord treatment, but has entrepreneurial success in several different areas. He first became interested in entrepreneurialship after listening to a talk given by Christopher Reeves and later participated in the Technology Entrepreneurialship Challenge at the University of California, Berkeley, where his team received the humanitarian award to launch the start-up Gravitonus that developed core technologies to allow quadriplegics to use computers, phones and other electronics. Gravitonus became a leading tech start-up out of Eastern Europe. Dr. Kosik then co-founded a lip cancer treatment — Quantum Cure — and now serves as the company CEO. His attentions are currently also focused on mentoring other entrepreneurs through the CRDF Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship program.

Kingsley Chin, MD, is a spine surgeon, entrepreneur, investor and inventor. He has built multiple companies in the health-tech space, including KICVentures in 2005, which generated more than $100 million. His first portfolio, MANTIS, was sold to Stryker. He is founder and CEO of The Health Tech Ventures Network and biannual conferences and founder, CEO and chief technology officer for medical device company SpineFrontier. Currently, Dr. Chin is co-founder and CEO at SenseDriver Technologies and supports the Less Exposure Surgery Society to train surgeons around world. His experience also includes founding and leading MeduWeb, an e-Learning company.

Michael Dunbar, MD, is a surgeon at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital and investor of a smartphone app using an accelerometer to analyze patient gait. The app measures the center of mass displacement and allows him to gather data on the patients. The phone is strapped to the patient's back or hip and the patient walks around his or her own neighborhood. The results are sent to the physician, who can use imaging studies and other data to analyze the patient's condition and develop a treatment plan. Dr. Dunbar envisions the app eventually saving time and money.

Dr. Pieter Kubben is a neurosurgeon at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and writes medical software to develop mobile tools for physicians research. He traveled to the United States during his medical clerkship in 2002 and was intrigued by the technology, but thought it was too expensive. Since then, the smartphone has become ubiquitous and Dr. Kubben has developed three free apps: NeuroMind, SLIFC and Safe Surgery. The apps are designed for students and residents to examine anatomical images, diagnoses and access the World Health Organization Safe Surgery checklist, according to an AMA News report.

Allen Carl, MD, is a spine surgeon and inventor who turned medical breakthroughs into multi-million-dollar businesses, according to a Business Journal report. His inventions also stem to the less traditional; he invented a heating device out of an Igloo cooler and patented it. Dr. Carl partners with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has patented an idea to treat scoliosis that realigns the spine but doesn't fuse it. He has worked on the research behind several businesses throughout his career and currently practices at Albany Medical College in New York.

Andrew Brooks, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon and co-founded TigerText with his brother Brad Brooks, according to an Entrepreneur report. TigerText is a multi-platform real-time messaging application designed for co-workers to share texts and photos securely. The application can also send cloud storage files securely and is HIPAA-compliant. The company was founded in 2011. Dr. Brooks completed his medical degree at USC and a fellowship in sports medicine at Hughston Clinic. He also founded Cardo Medical, which went public and was sold to Arthrex.

Robert Karpman, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon and entrepreneur-in-residence at Entrepreneurship at Cornell. He teaches the course Business as a Second Language to introduce business and managerial concepts to science, engineering and technology students. He spent time as an orthopedic surgeon and helped develop the bioengineering department at Arizona State University. He also founded Geri-Safe, a startup with the mission to develop and license innovative technology for improving the safety and well-being of older adults. He is currently the CEO of Geri-Safe.

Hank Wuh, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon-turned-inventor and entrepreneur, according to an Upstart Business Journal report. He trained as an orthopedic surgeon and then returned home to Hawaii where he founded several companies, including the most recent: Fit Entertainment. His first company was Origin Medsystems, which he sold two years later. He also created Skai Ventures, which is a hybrid venture capital fund and technology accelerator. In addition to his business ventures, Dr. Wuh also spends time inspiring other entrepreneurs.